Three incidents of indecent exposure and invasive recording in a month have been reported to Alamo Colleges police department.
By J. Del Valle
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
During the first two months of 2017, this college has accumulated more than 30 crime reports, ranging from public intoxication to an assault on a public servant.
Recently, there have been reports of an individual caught recording females in the restrooms and individuals who have indecently exposed themselves to women.
The Alamo Colleges police department sent out emails alerting students of incidents reported in the past month.
The first incident happened at 9:20 a.m. Jan. 21 in the lobby of the Ozuna building at Palo Alto, when an unknown male indecently exposed himself to a student and stole her cell phone.
Two more incidents occurred in the last two weeks, at and around this college.
On Feb. 13 a student reported that while she was in the ladies restroom on the seventh floor of Moody Learning Center, an unknown man was in a stall next to her and reached under the stall in an attempt to record or take photos of her. The female noticed what he was doing and attempted to confront the unknown man, but he fled once she got out of the stall.
The second incident happened on Feb. 15 on the corner of San Pedro and Mistletoe half a mile from this college; an unknown man indecently exposed himself to a 17-year-old female high school student.
All three of these reported incidents are still under investigations with San Antonio Police Department and Alamo Colleges Police Department.
Campus police are stationed at all five Alamo Colleges, patrolling all grounds of each campus by bike, car and on foot.
Alamo Colleges police department offers safety escorts for students to their vehicles and for students who take VIA transportation only on the campus grounds.
The college’s new risk management officer offered safety tips.
“Don’t just have one safety method,” said Janae Johnson, coordinator of college risk management. “Layer your safety methods.”
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Travel in groups or a “buddy system.”
- Program Alamo Colleges police emergency and nonemergency phone numbers.
- Remember key details if an incident occurs.
- Be a proactive bystander.
- Tell family or a friend your whereabouts.
- Immediately report any suspicious persons to the police.
- The Alamo College police department offered additional safety tips.
“Avoid having headphones on while walking alone and trust your gut,” said Cpl. Adrianna A. De Hoyos, campus coordinator. “If something is wrong, alert someone.”
The Alamo College student code of conduct prohibits students from carrying any of these “weapons” at Alamo Colleges:
- Firearm.
- Illegal Knife.
- Club.
- Explosive Weapon.
- Firearm silencer.
- Knuckles.
- Ammunition.
- Chemical Dispensing Device (pepper spray).
There are acceptable methods of protection that are keychain friendly and do not violate the student code of conduct, such as portable personal alarms and whistles.
Ultra-compact safety devices can help prevent assaults and alert bystanders.
Several on the market include:
ROBOCOPP SOS a personal alarm, a portable device that is discreet.
It emits 120 decibel (ambulance-level) and can be heard from 300 feet away for 30 minutes of continuous sound.
$7.99-$9.99 on Amazon
$15.99-$19.99 on RoboCopp https://www.robocopp.com/
They also have new device that is coming out July 2017 called RoboRanger (Connected to 911) once you pull the pin apart alert is sent to the local authorities with your GPS location.
$69.99 + $6.99 per month for subscription
https://www.robocopp.com/
Vigilant PPS-23K personal alarm with backup whistle
Emits 130 decibels
$16.99 on Amazon
Emergency whistle
$4.95 sold at SAC bookstore
Program these numbers for the Alamo Colleges Police on your cell phone.
210-485-0099 nonemergency
210-485-0911 emergency
To request an Alamo Colleges police escort, call 485-0099.
Or if anyone has suggestions for safety methods on campus, call Janae Johnson, coordinator of college risk management at 210-486-0902.